it's a family tradition

I'm trying to think back as to when this all started. I guess when I was in college the corn maze fad began. I remember driving out every year to maple lane farms in greenback, tn with our friends spending hours of non sobriety in a HARD haunted corn maze. it was always the highlight of fall. I guess we continued the tradition into our marriage and it slowly morphed into going to pumpkin patches. I remember doing an engagement shoot for my friends Jen and Randy at deep well farm and it was my first time there. i brought cal back the next week to show him how much fun it was. then we started bringing Simms... the first year it was just him, he was only a month or so old. the following year he had just turned one and the twins were still in the nicu. I remember feeling terrible that they were in the hospital while I was out having fun. then last year the twins came but spent almost the whole time in the stroller...and then this year we ditched the stroller and let everyone walk (wear themselves out!) 

as a photographer, I have been to about every pumpkin patch around Knoxville for shoots in the past 6 years, but deep well is still my favorite. its less crowded with still TONS to do for young kids. another one of our favorite fall traditions is the Museum of Appalachia fall homecoming. this year, we crammed both into one weekend. if you haven't ever been, I highly encourage you look it up! its an absolute blast for adults AND kids. tons of stages with live music, amazing food, great local artists and vendors, and of course, tons of demonstrations of the old ways of life.

we bought our pumpkins (that we will forget to carve until oct 30), we listened to live bluegrass, ate pinto beans and cornbread, walked the old cabin of mark twain, and played with tons of farm animals. the kids talked to Santa, fed pigs, chickens, and goats, drove and rode tractors, threw walnuts, danced, went down slides, took a hayride, found feathers, threw leaves and finally got to wear jeans! all this weekend lacked was my favorite spiked Biltmore wassail.

I love this time of the year and carrying on our same traditions year after year. what are your fall traditions? comment on my Instagram and fill me in on what else we should do this fall!

xoxo-

Hannah